Putting together a financing plan for a new downtown arena is “not a done deal by any means,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday, but he added that a majority of the Sacramento City Council likes the idea of leasing out the city’s parking operations as a key funding component.

“It’s the fourth quarter and the final two minutes for all of us,” Johnson, a former pro basketball star, said at his weekly news conference.

Johnson didn’t offer much new news in his update on efforts for a home for the Sacramento Kings.

One nugget he offered, however, was that AEG is “going to be in as the operator.” Previously, media reports only speculated that AEG would be the likely operator. Sacramento arena backers, including the Think Big Sacramento arena committee, have long made it clear they want the global operator, but AEG hasn’t exactly been shouting out its intentions for Sacramento.

Johnson said he expects the council to vote on Feb. 28, both on a term sheet for the amount various parties would contribute, and on whether the city will proceed with a request-for-proposals seeking bids from parking operators. The term sheet would include the value of the contributions from AEG, the Maloof family as the owner of the Kings, and the project developers.

Negotiations continue. The National Basketball Association is negotiating on behalf of the Kings, the mayor said.

What if the Maloofs or the NBA can’t come up with the $85 million or so seen as their piece, one reporter asked.

If the city comes up with its share in this public-private partnership for a new arena, the NBA — or the Kings — must do its or their part, Johnson said.

The mayor said the goal is to have the proposal released by Thursday so the public would have three business days to review it before the council votes next week.

Not quite a year ago, the NBA gave Sacramento until March 1 to come up with an arena funding plan — or risk losing the Kings to another city. Both Anaheim and Seattle have expressed interest.